Review: If imaginative and extreme violence is your thing, ‘Jujutsu Kaisen 0’ is for you

To prep for watching “Jujutsu Kaisen 0,” the theatrical prequel to the massively profitable “Jujutsu Kaisen” anime TV collection and manga, this reviewer consulted an knowledgeable: his fangirl daughter. She briefed me on the finger-eatin’ dangerous madness of the franchise, by which a child who has swallowed a monster’s finger develops a “Venom”-like symbiotic relationship — although much more toxic — with that creature (known as a “curse” within the present’s parlance) whereas at an academy for curse-hunters.

So we’ve obtained some awfully acquainted hallmarks of this class of the shōnen (action-heavy manga geared toward boys) style: Child at a faculty for monster-fighters struggling along with his rising energy, alliances with classmates, vital mentor determine — test, test, test. However the franchise, as my astute daughter knowledgeable me it might be, can be loopy, bizarre and funky. It’s enjoyable, with a wacky humorousness and way-out-there creativeness, and fairly violent. My expertise is proof you don’t must know the present properly to benefit from the film; hers is proof followers will get loads of the bloody, weirdo fan service they crave.

If the collection setup has a little bit of an “X-Males” resonance, the film is akin to “X-Males: First Class.” The story precedes the introduction of the finger-chomping child from the present; as a substitute, we see different acquainted figures of their earlier scholar days. There’s even a Professor X-Magneto dynamic between good mentor Gojo and his previous friend-turned-anti-human-crusader Geto. When you can’t swing a lifeless curse with out hitting a style trope, the movie is its personal jam — not stunning, however freaky and humorous at instances, and superbly rendered.

The story facilities on a brand new scholar to Gojo’s faculty for presented children: Yuta, within the collection a mysterious and highly effective determine; right here, a uncooked recruit simply studying of his energy. The scholars are “cursed” or have curse-fighting skills or weapons; Yuta’s curse is the spirit of his lifeless girlfriend, which manifests in a very cool monster kind that doesn’t take kindly to individuals mistreating him.

Three outstanding characters within the collection get main display screen time as Yuta’s classmates. Toge Inumaki, whose “cursed speech” means his phrases can flip into damaging magic, speaks solely in innocuous rice-ball elements (critically — in dialog, he’ll say “Pollock roe” and nothing else). Maki Zen’in (a favourite amongst my daughter’s fearsome crew) is a badass fighter. And Panda isn’t an precise bear, however an “abrupt mutated cursed corpse” (simply go along with me on this). And he’s cute, as a result of he seems to be similar to an enormous panda.

The environments are impressively painted. The movie’s framing, mild, shadow and coloration are expressive. The creatures are creatively designed and sometimes simply weird sufficient to be humorous (one’s type of a candy model of H.R. Giger’s “Alien” and one dangerous man is a shirtless dude with hearts for nipples).

The humor can get darkish, as with the casually delivered “We’re right here to exorcise the curse and save the children. Or retrieve them in the event that they’re lifeless.” The animators take pleasure in depicting imaginative and excessive violence. If that’s your factor (and if it isn’t, why are you watching this film?), “Jujutsu Kaisen 0″ doesn’t disappoint. And followers: Stick round via the credit.